Chapter 1206 Su Qing and Shu Da

In the golden month of September, just after the grand ceremony of surrendering captives was completed, Duke Chengguo offered sacrifices to heaven and earth on behalf of Emperor Longqing for the 72nd time.

While the people of the capital were still immersed in the joy brought by the great victory at Xifengkou, a series of hurried horse hoof sounds rang out again at Fuchengmen.

"It's urgent, get out of the way!" The knight on horseback urged urgently. There was a burst of horse neighing and camel braying outside Fucheng Gate. The coal-carrying caravan hurriedly made way. The soldiers guarding the gate also quickly removed the barricades and allowed the messenger to enter the city.

When the sound of horse hooves gradually died down, people came to their senses and started talking.

"This is a military report from the direction of Xuanda University."

"Could it be another victory?" After the great victory, the people of the capital were full of confidence and wanted peaches one after another.

"You are just dreaming about getting married - you are just dreaming about good things." The rationalists sneered and said, "If it was good news, you would have shouted 'good news, good news' a long time ago. Did you hear what you just shouted?"

"It seems to be... extremely urgent..." Everyone was poured with a bucket of cold water, and their mood suddenly became heavy. "Then it is definitely not a victory?"

"Did Xuan Da lose the battle?" People began to speculate anxiously, and then they remembered that Altan was not a scumbag like Dong Huli... In fact, Dong Huli still thought he was better than Altan. But there was no way, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. He was now a prisoner of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming people's evaluation of Wuliangha was also reduced a lot.

"It seems we shouldn't be happy too soon." A businessman sighed, "I was planning to go to Shanxi to buy some vinegar, but I think I'd better stay here."

"Yes, Altan is too cruel. He massacred Shizhou three years ago, wasn't it in Shanxi?" People began to worry again, wondering when these days of fear would end.

~~

Wenyuan Pavilion.

The Grand Secretaries received the military report from the Ministry of Public Administration. Just as the Grand Secretary on duty, Zhao Zhenji, was about to read it, the memorial in his hand suddenly disappeared.

Zhao Zhenji's hands were still in the same position as before. He looked up in surprise, only to see that Gao Gong had snatched the book away from him and was reading it himself.

"You..." Zhao Zhenji's old face turned red.

"What do you mean? Does military affairs have anything to do with you?" Gao Gong rolled his eyes at him.

"I am the Grand Secretary on duty!" Zhao Zhenji shouted.

"What are you arguing about? We are all here, there is no need for you to meddle in other people's business." Gao Gong ignored him and turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, "Come on, Taiyue, go to my room and take a look."

Seeing Gao Gong so nervous, Zhang Juzheng knew that something big must have happened. He smiled apologetically at Zhao Zhenji, stood up and followed him out.

The Prime Minister sat there quietly writing something, not saying a word from beginning to end, as if he did not exist.

"Prince, look at him!" Zhao Zhenji complained aggrievedly.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get angry and get sick, no one can help you." Li Chunfang gently shook the pen and comforted him: "Just tolerate him, let him be, avoid him, endure him, let him be, respect him, and ignore him. In a few years, you will see what happens to him."

"Burp..." Zhao Zhenji was so angry that he was fed another bowl of chicken soup. He didn't know whether he was full or angry and burped. He thought Li Chunfang was copying Buddhist scriptures, but when he walked over to take a look, he found that it was actually a resignation letter.

"What is this, Yuan Fu?" He couldn't help but be surprised.

"One should leave the world when one is at the peak of one's career, and live in a place where one is left behind. Only by retreating at the peak of one's career can one be safe." Li Chunfang said calmly, "It will not be a good thing to wait for others to chase you away."

“How could the Prime Minister bear to abandon all the officials…” Zhao Zhenji felt terrible, mainly because if he was the only one left, life would be even more difficult.

"Hey, do you think I don't know what the officials say about me? It's just licorice in the prescription. It's a little moister with me and a little bitter without me. There's not much difference." Li Chunfang said with a self-deprecating smile.

"There's a huge difference..." Zhao Zhenji wanted to persuade her, but saw Li Chunfang waving her hand, signaling him not to say any more.

"If you want to do something, do it quickly before I leave." After saying this, Li Chunfang lowered her head to concentrate on writing her resignation letter and ignored him.

"Prime Minister..." Zhao Zhenji was stunned. He suddenly realized that once Li Chunfang submitted his resignation, the emperor and all the officials would have to persuade him to stay, and it would take at least several months to get approval. During this period, the Prime Minister was almost invincible.

Zhao Zhenji's heart began to pound as he realized this was his last chance.

~~

On the second floor of Wenyuan Pavilion, Gao Gong is in the room.

Looking at the contents of the report written by Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, Zhang Juzheng was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

'An Da's grandson, Han Naji, fled in the middle of the night and fled to Datong, begging for surrender. Datong's general Ma Fang accepted him, and I also thought he was a rare treasure. However, An Da would not give up, and I am afraid he would bring a large army to demand his return. I have a rebel named Zhao Quan who is still in other places, so you can ask him to send him to us in exchange; otherwise, you can accept him as a hostage, like the Han Dynasty did, and let him recruit his old subordinates and live near the border.'

"Hey, Altan is old and dying. His son Huang Taiji is not as good as his father. Our dynasty can order him to go out of the border to fight against Taiji. He is the snipe and clam, and we are the fishermen. Isn't this a good strategy? However, whether to stay, change or kill is all up to the emperor. As a minister, I only hope that he will return soon and not delay the military opportunity..."

He watched it carefully again, then looked up at Gao Gong, who was smiling. He knew that this was no coincidence, but a big show jointly directed by Gao Gong and Lao Xier.

Otherwise, why did Gao Gong urge Qi Jiguang to fight a decisive battle with Wuliangha as soon as possible? Wasn't it just to free up his hands so that he could focus on dealing with Altan?

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but feel horrified. He felt so miserable because Lao Gao and Lao Xier had kept the secret from him. If they plotted against him in the future, wouldn't he still be kept in the dark?

Bu Gu quickly suppressed his inappropriate worries and calmly asked Gao Gong, "What do you think, Mr. Xuan?"

"Well, Taiyue is in charge of military affairs, so of course he has to listen to your opinion." Gao Gong's attitude was surprisingly kind, completely different from how he treated Zhao Zhenji downstairs just now.

"In my opinion, Wang Duxian's suggestion is a good strategy for controlling the border, and it can be approved." Zhang Juzheng said carefully, "But we must also be careful of Altan Khan raising a large army to provoke the border. If he captures a group of our civilians or a hundred soldiers or even civil and military officials and takes them to the city of Datong to demand a replacement, then Wang Duxian will be in a passive position."

"Well, Taiyue is still thoughtful." Gao Gong said, holding the blank manuscript on the table, "Write a letter to him and order him to prepare for war completely and never let Altan get the bargaining chip."

"I understand." Zhang Juzheng nodded, and without calling Si Zhilang in, he gathered his sleeves and started grinding ink himself.

"Oh, Taiyue," Gao Gong crossed his arms and paced back and forth in front of his desk. He pondered for a while before saying, "Do you think it is possible to solve Xuanda's border problems once and for all?"

"Oh?" Zhang Juzheng thought the main point of the play was about to begin, so he asked, "What do you think, Mr. Xuan?"

"After the great victory at Xifengkou, I was thinking, how can I give Altan a blow so that the Tatars will be completely obedient?" Gao Gong said slowly: "But after thinking about it, it seems unrealistic."

"Mr. Xuan is right. The Tatars have now unified the right wing of Mongolia, with a vast territory and a large population. With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, it will be difficult to fight them in the next 20 years." Zhang Juzheng agreed, "Besides, even if we defeat the Tatars and drive them back to the northern desert, the grassland is a bitter and cold place, and it is impossible to station troops to defend it. It will only be a wedding dress for the Oirat and Chahar tribes."

"Yes, that's right!" Gao Gong breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. What he was most worried about was that he couldn't even convince Zhang Juzheng, so what was the point of trying?

"We can't kill all the wolves on the grassland. We must change our strategy, such as taming the wolves into dogs and letting the dogs help people guard their homes." He stopped beating around the bush and said, "In fact, what the Tartars want is nothing more than border trade. It's those stubborn guys who are always worried about this and that and refuse to resume trade. If Altan is willing to pay tribute, I think we can negotiate peace with him and pay tribute..."

As he spoke, he sighed deeply and said, "The people in the north have suffered too much. It is right to give them a few years' rest and let them recover their strength."

"Mr. Xuan is right." Zhang Juzheng nodded in agreement, but was reluctant to put pen to paper. "But if I do this, I'm afraid there will be a lot of controversy in the government and the public."

This is a louse on a bald head - it's obvious. The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were die-hards who wanted to execute the captured emperor by firing squad in order to wash away the shame and not be threatened. Over the past few decades, the court suffered so much from Altan Khan, how could it easily accept peace talks?

"I didn't say that I won't take revenge on Shizhou. But as the saying goes, it's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge." This is exactly what Gao Gong was worried about, so he needed to win a victory first to silence the gossips.

"King Gou Jian of Yue knew how to endure hardships and accumulate wealth for ten years, and learn lessons for ten years before he could achieve his great cause. We cannot be worse than the ancient people who lived two thousand years ago!"

Zhang Juzheng nodded, but he was somewhat disapproving in his heart, thinking to himself, "How despicable!" He not only tasted bile, but also tasted feces. People today can't compare to him.

"The Tartars are fickle by nature. They have surrendered and rebelled many times. How could this time be an exception? They will definitely rebel again in the future." Gao Gong waved his hand and said without question: "We are negotiating peace only to buy time to gather people and learn lessons. When we are ready, they will have no choice but to rebel!"

"Mr. Xuan is really painstaking." Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but admire: "I wonder if we can see that day?"

"That's not important. Success doesn't have to be mine." Gao Gong said generously, "I am willing to be the Shang Yang and Chao Cuo of the Ming Dynasty. As long as I can help the country to flourish, I will have no regrets even if I die nine times!"

"Mr. Xuan is truly a great man!" Zhang Juzheng hurriedly stood up and saluted, and said in admiration, "I am not as good as you."

"Alas, Taiyue, you are a generation younger than me. If you live well, you will definitely see that day." Gao Gong laughed and helped him up, saying emotionally: "I only hope to clear away the thorns for you. What does it matter if you are cursed? When you succeed in the future, just say a fair word for me!"

"Mr. Xuan..." Zhang Juzheng's eyes reddened slightly.

"Alas, I told you long ago not to call me Xuan Weng. It's too distant and makes me sound old." Gao Gong smiled and shook his head, "I still prefer you to call me by my given name like you did back then."

"Yes." Zhang Juzheng smiled and called out, "Brother Suqing."

"Hey, uncle." Gao Gong responded with a smile, and the two looked at each other and laughed. Suddenly, they felt that all the grudges were gone, and they returned to the youthful days when they were both lecturers of Prince Yu, climbing high places to look into the distance, talking by candlelight at night, and making an appointment to revive the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)